1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of infant blankets and wraps, and, more particularly, to infant blankets and wraps of the type commonly used to wrap infants at hospitals, nurseries and at home when an infant is to be kept warm, carried about or taken outside.
2. Background Discussion
As is well known, it is commonplace for an infant to be wrapped in a small blanket when the infant is carried around. Wrapping an infant in this manner not only keeps the infant warm, but also helps confine the infant, making it easier to handle and carry and reduces the risk of injury to the infant.
In such cases, the infant is generally placed on an open, generally rectangular blanket. The lower end of the blanket is then folded up over the legs and lower body of the infant; then side regions of the blanket are folded sidewardly over and around the baby in an overlapping manner. To hold the blanket wrapped around the infant, large safety pins--known as blanket pins--are used. The blanket is thereby folded and held into a semblance of a large envelope in which the baby is enfolded.
Alternatively, a sewn, pre-shaped article, formed into the shape of a small sleeping bag, may be used for "wrapping" an infant. In such case, the infant may be slid downwardly into the closed article or, as is more common and easier to use, the article is unzippered, the infant placed inside, and the article is zippered closed.
Such heretofore known types of infant wrapping articles have, however, various disadvantages or drawbacks. Regular infant blankets are awkward to fold neatly and usually end up, in the folded condition, bulky and unattractive. Moreover, the blanket pins commonly used for holding blankets in the folded condition are dangerous to use around infants who may either be injured by the pins when the blanket is being pinned or by an infant using the pin as a toy. Still further, if the blanket is not properly pinned together, there is a danger that the bottom flap will open and the infant slide downwardly through the blanket and fall on the floor or other hard surface. On the other hand, sleeping bag-types of infant wraps are also often difficult to use, even when equipped with a zipper, as infants are likely to squirm and twist while being wrapped. Furthermore, even when used carefully, the zippers on such wraps may catch an infant's skin and cause injury.
For these and other reasons, improved articles for wrapping infants are still needed, and it is a principal objective of the present invention to provide such an improved infant wrap.